New Yorker publishes photo of RFK Jr. with dead bear cub. He joked it may be where he got his brain worm

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made light of a decade-old incident in which he drove a dead bear cub carcass from upstate New York to New York City and placed it in Central Park, joking, “maybe that’s where I got my brain worm,” referring to a past medical abnormality he has said was caused by a parasitic worm in his brain.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made light of a decade-old incident in which he drove a dead bear cub carcass from upstate New York to New York City and placed it in Central Park, joking, “maybe that’s where I got my brain worm,” referring to a past medical abnormality he has said was caused by a parasitic worm in his brain. Kennedy made the comment in an interview with The New Yorker as part of an expansive profile of his life and presidential campaign published on Monday. Kennedy revealed he drove the dead bear cub to Central Park approximately 10 years ago in a video on social media on Sunday as part of an effort to get ahead of the magazine’s story. The bear incident is the latest in a series of bizarre episodes from Kennedy’s life that have been revealed over the course of his 2024 presidential campaign. The New Yorker article includes an image of Kennedy sticking his hand in the dead bear’s mouth, pantomiming as if the bear is biting his hand. The image echoes a photo published by Vanity Fair last month of Kennedy pretending to eat a cooked animal carcass. Vanity Fair reported Kennedy sent the photo to a friend while suggesting they try eating dog. The publication consulted with a veterinarian who said the carcass in the photo appeared to be a dog. When asked about the bear incident, he told the magazine, “Maybe that’s where I got my brain worm,” referencing a 2010 incident in which Kennedy experienced short-term memory loss and “brain fog” he said was caused by a parasitic worm that entered his brain and died. Kennedy has often referenced the brain worm episode for comedic effect at campaign events and in interviews since it was first reported by The New York Times in May. He has previously said he believes he contracted the parasite from eating undercooked meat.